Balmoral Road - Some Industrial Background Buildings

[brossard]

Well that was embarrassing, I complete misread the design intent for the windows and made them too big.

 

Good news is they are about right for Scalescenes large windows so I should be able to use them.

 

I made new windows based on the Scalescenes medium windows:

 

 

They are mounted on card flanges and designed to slide into their apertures from the back.

 

A word (and a pic) about what I use to build card kits:

 

 

I doubt this comes as a surprise to anyone who has built a card kit.  PVA of course, a good general construction glue. 

 

Canopy glue is a thin PVA like glue that dries ultra clear.  It will stick most things like paper and plastic.  Transparent film too of course.

 

Pritt glue sticks are very useful to me and do a great job of sticking printed sheets to card.  The roller is handy to make sure there are no air bubbles.

 

Olfa heavy duty knife for card.  Steel rule.

 

I occasionally use an Xacto #10 knife for precise work.  This is just too flimsy for attacking card.

 

John

 

 

[brossard]

I have glued in the windows and door for the front wall:

 

 

Being me, I changed the brick for Scalescenes to match the rest of the buildings.  The lintels were cut from the Terraced House kit.

 

John

[brossard]

Progress so far:

 

 

Three of the walls in place.  You need to keep your wits about you (mine have a tendency to wander off) and keep checking.  I'm pleased with the results so far.  BTW, the kit calls for "heavy" card for the walls, in 7mm this is 3mm-ish and a right bear to cut.  I discovered 3mm foam core in my art store so I'm using that.  It's a darn sight easier to work with.

 

 

The kit comes with interior and I have done the main wall with fireplaces on the left.   On the right are two of the inner walls.

 

This is an excellent kit.

 

John

[Ray H]

Just found this John and read through it.

 

I'm going to try upscaling a ScaleScenes kit myself. Unfortunately my mail server seems to be self isolating at present as I'm not getting any mails in or out.

[Stubby47]

Have you considered one of these for cutting windows ?

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Portrait-Silhouette-Electronic-Cutting-White/dp/B009GZUPFA

 

I use mine for exactly that (in 4mm). It should be possible in 7mm to cut two layers of 5thou plasticard and stick them together to provide the relief.

 

Stu 

[Ray H]

8 minutes ago, Stubby47 said:

Have you considered one of these for cutting windows ?

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Portrait-Silhouette-Electronic-Cutting-White/dp/B009GZUPFA

 

I use mine for exactly that (in 4mm). It should be possible in 7mm to cut two layers of 5thou plasticard and stick them together to provide the relief.

 

Stu 

 

I've done the same with my Portrait. I even managed to make a private siding gate for the club O gauge layout by layering.

[brossard]

2 hours ago, Ray H said:

Just found this John and read through it.

 

I'm going to try upscaling a ScaleScenes kit myself. Unfortunately my mail server seems to be self isolating at present as I'm not getting any mails in or out.

 

I try to encourage others to get serious about 7mm card buildings.  IMO there doesn't seem to be enough coverage of these.

 

I find these card kits scale up well.  I can live without mortar texture if I can get the superb brick rendering from Scalescenes.  The main drawback with scaling up is windows and doors.  Trying to make these from the kit design is not very good I think.  There is little available in the trade as well.  Lcut do some nice windows and doors but there is only one size of window and Scalescenes have three sizes.  Same with Intentio.

 

John

Edited May 3, 2020 by brossard

[brossard]

2 hours ago, Stubby47 said:

Have you considered one of these for cutting windows ?

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Portrait-Silhouette-Electronic-Cutting-White/dp/B009GZUPFA

 

I use mine for exactly that (in 4mm). It should be possible in 7mm to cut two layers of 5thou plasticard and stick them together to provide the relief.

 

Stu 

 

TBH, I haven't considered that.  I guess I'm old fashioned.  Plus, my window needs are not excessive so I can manage with making them the tedious way.  If I were to tackle the Scalescenes big factory, I might change my tune.  I actually built that in 4mm but used Brassmasters windows.

 

My window frames are 0.055" thick. (a layer of 0.040" x 0.080" plus a reinforcement layer of 0.015" x 0.080").

 

Thanks for participating in the discussion guys.

 

John

Edited May 3, 2020 by brossard

[brossard]

Here's where I got to yesterday:

 

 

The interior detail looks good to me although my fitting is not 100%.  You can see the separate interior walls.

 

The kit does include a large selection of furniture but, as I don't do lights, I won't bother with that.

 

 

I am very happy with this.

 

John

[Ian Major]

John,

 

I have also just discovered this thread. I don't know why it took me so look, I normally read with interest your other contributions.

 

I am looking forward to seeing your station with scenery in place. It will be superb.

 

Ian.

[brossard]

Thanks Ian, I hope you will visit regularly.

 

John

[brossard]

My progress from yesterday:

 

 

Back walls installed.  To the left is the office and on the right is the kitchen.

 

There are blemishes at the corners and where walls abut.  My plan is to use brass tube for proper downspouts so the blemishes should get covered up.

 

John

Edited May 4, 2020 by brossard

[brossard]

The house is just about finished.  There are one or two small things left where I have to print.  Alas I'm out of ink so waiting for the wagon train to bring me some more.

 

I've done what I can:

 

 

 

Don't worry about the crinkles, these will get covered by downspouts.

 

I had to futz about trying to get the chimney tops flat.

 

 

Roof is mostly done.  Slates are cut into strips and overlapped.

 

 

Fascias and gutters.  I used the templates and wraps from the kit, then painted them.  Difficult to see but I added some strips of sticky label to represent strapping on the gutters.  I don't get all fussed about gutters, these look fine to me.

 

John

[brossard]

A few minutes after my previous post a man in a white van rang my doorbell with my ink.

 

The house is within a whisker of being finished, yesterday and this morning I made some final touches:

 

 

Roof done, gutters and fascias installed.  Chimney capping complete.  Just need the pots.

 

 

Rear wall lintels installed.  The RH corner did look horrible so I repaired it.  I wrapped brick paper around 0.5mm card and tried to match the courses.

 

I'm not over the moon with the chimney flashing but it ain't too bad.

 

I also started the downspouts:

 

 

3/32" rod and tube with 0.032 wire soldered on.

 

I'll clean these up and paint.

 

John

[brossard]

Having got the house 99% done, I turned my thoughts to an enclosure.  I decided to use Scalescenes Terraced Houses (T022a) for guidance and useful prints.

 

I spent the last while slowly figuring out where the walls should go.  I also made gates from Evergreen.

 

Here is a mockup of the configuration:

 

 

There is an outbuilding in the corner.  This would hold domestic coal I think.

 

Note the pavement.  These are based on the Scalescenes pattern but scribed in 0.040" plastic card.

 

 

 

Here is the house in context.  The station building is behind and now I can define the platform.

 

You can also see the level crossing.

 

John

[Andrew P]

Hi John, I don't know how I missed this little beauty, superb building work as well.

 

Stay safe.

[brossard]

Hi Andy, glad you could finally visit.

 

John

[brossard]

I've done the yard walls:

 

 

 

 

That green square is a coal hatch.  I will put a laneway behind the house.

 

I need to have a think about what to put in the yard.  A greenhouse and perhaps a postage stamp sized bit of lawn.

 

John

[brossard]

I just ordered these:

 

Greenhouse:

 

https://severnmodels.com/epages/eshop1179816.sf/sec6eeb097ea0/?ObjectPath=/Shops/eshop1179816/Products/O.7

 

Gardening tools:

 

https://severnmodels.com/epages/eshop1179816.sf/sec6eeb097ea0/?ObjectPath=/Shops/eshop1179816/Products/O.5

 

Anyone know where I can get good bins?

 

John

[brossard]

Now that I have settled on where the Staionmasters house goes, I can make the platform.

 

The first thing I did was lay down foam roadbed to bring everything up to the same height.

 

I then used thin card and laid it over the rails.  Pressing down gives a witness mark to define where the platform goes roughly.  Next I used the old pencil and coach method to get the spacing:

 

 

I then used this template to cut out 3.5mm foam core to be the platform top.

 

The top was double checked against Gordon Gravetts chart from his 7mm Modelling and the edges refined to be 18mm from the rail:

 

 

The spacing looks about right.

 

John

[BrushType4]

On 03/05/2020 at 14:00, brossard said:

 

I try to encourage others to get serious about 7mm card buildings.  IMO there doesn't seem to be enough coverage of these.

 

I find these card kits scale up well.  I can live without mortar texture if I can get the superb brick rendering from Scalescenes.  The main drawback with scaling up is windows and doors.  Trying to make these from the kit design is not very good I think.  There is little available in the trade as well.  Lcut do some nice windows and doors but there is only one size of window and Scalescenes have three sizes.  Same with Intentio.

 

John

John,

 

I'll make any size window for a small arrangement fee. I also have maybe 80 windows+ in my portfolio so I probably have a window for every occasion!

[brossard]

Thanks, didn't think of bespoke.  I have a couple of Scalescenes terraced houses to build.  I guess I will need to send you a dimensioned sketch.  Before I do that, I will have a closer look at your windows collection to see if there are close matches.  I can adjust the kit window apertures.

 

Cheers

 

John

[Happy Hippo]

For some reason I seem to have stopped picking up your updates.

 

You are making terrific progress.

 

Just a technicality:  You have made a pair of trap points not catch points.

 

A trap point stops any unauthorised movement from a siding onto the main line. A catch point  is used on an ascent so that any wagons that break away and start rolling back down the hill are automatically derailed.

 

A trap is operated from a signal box or a ground frame, whereas a catch is usually spring operated and if a train has to deliberately set back over it, has to be clipped in the closed position.

[brossard]

Yep Richard, you are quite right, trap points indeed.  The intent is to interlock them with the Y point at the throat.

 

Thanks, I hope you get updates going forward.  I keep changing the title, wonder if that's the problem.

 

John

[Ray H]

John

 

You make a reasonable amount of use of Scalescene papers/kits. These kits are (generally?) only available for N or OO gauge.

 

Do you have access to an A3 printer or do you have a trick with printing them at the enlarged size on an A4 printer? There's a couple of their kits I'd like to adapt for O gauge.